Tuesday, May 10, 2016

This whole piece got started by an idle
discussion between my husband and I about food in the Lord of the
Rings. After that, I just started noticing all of the references to
food, food preparation and meals in the books I was reading. It's not
an exhaustive survey, just what I've noticed recently and some
examples I remember reading in the past.

The Importance of Food and Drink in
Fiction

Food and drink. The two are integral to
every society I can think of or have read about in real life or in
fiction. From a meeting in a coffee shop to a lavish feast being
served up in front of the main characters, it can range from an
elaborate background setting to something far more integral to the
plot, or the characters.

The familiarity or strangeness of the
foods being served or made by the characters can act as a barometer
to the intended familiarity or strangeness of the worlds that the
books are set in. A few examples might be the foods that the hobbits
eat in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (apples, beer, bacon
and mushrooms for example), meant to represent our own Europe in a
distant past, or perhaps the foods from Pern (Klah, wherry, packtail,
redfruit, tubers), the world created by Anne McCaffrey, an alien
planet. Some authors have taken a middle ground, where some of the
foods are our own, but perhaps some of the seasonings or drinks are
unfamiliar – the direction taken by Elizabeth Moon in the
Paksenarrion's World books (cheese, onions, stews, but also sib and
asar).

Done well, the use of food in a novel
can be a way of involving the reader's senses into the story through
their own experiences and memories. To use one of Mercedes Lackey's
books as an example, in Magic's Price there is a scene where the main
character is enjoying a piece of bread fresh out of the oven with
butter melting into it. Who doesn't know the taste and smell of that?
Or the smell of a large pot of soup on the stove?

Some books use food and drink to
illustrate elements of the characters personalities, as Mercedes
Lackey did in The Fire Rose. Rosalind Hawkins' preference for
unladylike sandwiches went along with her other unladylike interests
in reading, history and languages, as well as her desire for a
university education. Another Mercedes Lackey novel, By The Sword
opens with the main character, Kerowyn, supervising the preparations
for her brother's marriage feast. Really, her place should have been
out participating in the feast itself though. However, for various
reasons she's in the kitchen, which suggests in hind-sight that she's
something of an outsider at the Keep – which is proven throughout
the book. Then, going back to Tolkien and The Hobbit for another example, you have
Beorn, the skin-changer, who could also take on the form of a great
bear. He lived, according to Gandalf, mostly on cream and honey,
which you might say reflected his other form as a bear.

Outside of restaurant scenes, how meal
and food preparation is presented to us as the audience can also say
a lot about the worlds the characters are inhabiting. If we only see
perfectly done, finished meals presented to the characters, it
suggests to me one of two things. Either they are upper-class with
servants to do all the work, or else the world is a high-tech one a
la Star Trek with its replicators to do most of the day-to-day
cooking. It's not only how the foods are presented, but also the
ingredients used, however – venison, hare, rabbit, onions etc all
say to me “good, solid, homey food”. On the other hand, eels and
other exotic dishes are more likely to suggest that the meals are
designed to be impressive, and often expensive.

Eating and drinking is also very much a
social thing to do. Especially when it comes to historical fiction
and fantasy, though it's still very prevalent in more modern
settings. How often do you see the characters agreeing to meet up for
a drink? These days it would be a coffee and a muffin. In historical
fiction it's more likely to be wine or scotch (for men) and tea and
biscuits for women. One of the biggest set-pieces as well is the
great feast, with all of it's attendant preparations and rituals.
This is one that you see most often in the historical fiction and
fantasy realms – either from the preparation side as in By The
Sword, or from the perspective of one of the diners – think of some
of the feasts in Diana Gabaldon's books for example.

Continuing with a further look into the
third book of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, nearly every time
characters are meeting socially there is food involved: Ginger
biscuits in one of the 1960's scenes. Sherry or port for the men in
the 18th century scenes – or, hare pie or a savory in
the same time period in Scotland. Diana Gabaldon is an author who
isn't going to shy away from the kitchen and food preparations in her
books, and it adds so much richness to her writings.

Broadening out, food, or the lack of
may well be a plot-point in and of itself. In J.R.R. Tolkien's The
Hobbit, the prevalence or scarcity of food is one of the keys to the
characters' emotional states. The less food they have, the more
irritable and angry they get – and several times, they run out of
food entirely, or believe they are about to, adding more tension to
the story. Similarly in the early books of the Change series by S. M.
Stirling (Dies The Fire and The Protector's War) we see the lengths
that the characters will or will not go to to get food due to the
sudden scarcity thanks to the Change, and the meals are certainly
more than a background setting. Another example of the lengths that
characters will go to in order to get food is in Suzanne Collins
Hunger Games trilogy where teenagers are willing to increase their
chances at being drawn for Tribute in order to get food for
themselves and their families. Not to mention what they're willing to
consider food!

Similarly, we see the cycle of the year
shown through the foods and quantities of foods available as the
seasons change in S. M. Stirling's books, and more subtly in the
Outlander books. From seasonal feasts to scarcity, it's all there and
it has an effect on the characters lives and actions. I know that
after reading the early Change books, I have a greater appreciation
for the humble backyard vegetable garden and it's potential.

And now, there's an interesting twist
on the food in novels/TV-series that's growing: the novel-themed
cookbook. I only know of a few so far, but they're definitely
interesting. The first one I saw came out around 2012, for the Game
of Thrones TV series, called A Feast Of Ice And Fire: The Official Game Of Thrones Companion Cookbook. It has it's own
unique twist, in that the authors took known medieval recipes and
modernized them. The Hunger Games has also inspired a few cookbooks,
although I'm not sure just how inspiring some of what the characters
are known to have been eating was.

The one that I want to read and test
the most though is the Outlander Kitchen cookbook. Due out this
summer, it looks like a good one, based on the blog of the same name.
Diana Gabaldon has included many a dish both humble and extravagant,
old and modern through her series of books, and the author of the
Outlander Kitchen started a blog inspired by the recipes, which has
since turned into a book. However, as far as I can tell, the blog is
still being updated as well, and what's more, all of the recipes I've seen there look absolutely delicious!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

I've seen a couple of articles this morning about the map of Middle-Earth that J.R.R. Tolkien annotated, including this one over at IO9. It's definitely neat, but I really hope that someday soon there will be a large-scale print version (preferably with notes) made available to those of us who can't go to see the original.

The largest size image I've found so far online is this one. It's good, but I can't read any of the annotations in the image. Part of that, I will admit is because the writing is a challenge in itself. However, many of the notations are quite faint and small - even when zoomed in on the image.

Back in 2011, Anassa gave me the idea to take out my Tolkien books and stack them up on the table. Made for a rather impressive pile too. The table then seated four. Now, it takes one side of a snooker table to display the collection. The last few years have been good ones for the Tolkien collector, with new books (not to mention new edition of his books) being released every year.

I did another list in 2013, which was the first time I used the snooker table to hold it, and now it's time for a new one.

To get the whole thing in one frame, I had to back away so far that none of the titles can be read easily in the photo. In general though, there's the entirety of the History of Middle-Earth series stacked to the far left of the photo followed by the newer books of Tolkien's poetry. Above those we have the audio books, two Hobbit Blu-rays, Mr. Bliss, the Art of The Hobbit and The Art of the Lord of the Rings (two absolutely gorgeous books). Next to that is most of the mass-market sized Tolkien books and then the Black boxed set and the white set (still in it's shrink-wrap). Just to one side of the middle of the stack are my Verlyn Flieger books on Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings movies, some art books, and the final item in the display is the J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide two book set.

The books:

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
One volume edition, illustrated by Alan Lee. (Middle of the bottom row)

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
One volume, movie cover edition. (Horizontally in the middle of the stack beside the Alan Lee illustrated Lord of the Rings)

The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Box Set by J.R.R. Tolkien
The white box set including the Lord of the Rings Readers Companion by
Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Still in the shrink wrap.

The Lord of the Rings box set by J.R.R. Tolkien
The black box set. (above the white set)

The Lord of the Rings
The BBC Radio Play edition adapted by Brian Sibley. Each of the major
characters is done by a different actor, including Ian Holm (Frodo),
Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) and Michael Horden (Gandalf). (About the only thing not pictured. I realized too late that it's upstairs)

The Lord of the Rings
The BBC Radio Play edition adapted by Brian Sibley. Each of the major
characters is done by a different actor, including Ian Holm (Frodo),
Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) and Michael Horden (Gandalf). Duplicate edition with some new narration. Not pictured.

The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson
Lovely design with two columns: one for the text and the other for
notes, including excerpts from letters, possible inspirations etc. I'm a
bit ashamed to admit I have yet to fully read this edition, but it's so
full of information that it really is a must have.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hardcover, with illustrations from the Rankin-Bass animated movie. The first edition of The Hobbit that I ever read. A bit awkwardly sized, but has a lot of sentimental value.

The Book of Lost Tales One by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

The Book of Lost Tales Two by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

The Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

The Shaping of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

The Lost Road by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

The Return of the Shadow by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The first book covering the draft versions of The Lord of the Rings. Also, the first book in the History Of Middle Earth series that I ever read.

The Treason of Isengard by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The second book about the Lord of the Rings

The War of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The third book in the set about the Lord of the Rings.

Sauron Defeated by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
Only part of the book covers the end of the documents about the Lord of the Rings. The rest holds one of my other favourite unfinished stories by Tolkien though: The Notion Club Papers.
I think this copy also has some holes punched in the pages (from the
metal bookmark I stopped using as soon as I discovered it was doing
that).

Morgoth's Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

The War of the Jewels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien

Peoples of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
Only one of the History of Middle-Earth books I have in hardcover.

A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary by Kenneth Sisam and J.R.R. Tolkien
IIRC, Kenneth Sisam was one of Tolkien's tutors.

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
With the improved index.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
This is the gold standard biography I believe.

The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter

Tolkien by Raymond Edwards

The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
Slip-cased set of two volumes: the Chronology and the Reader's Guide. Another jaw-dropper of a set, and one I consider to be a must-have.

The Lord of the Rings Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull

The Art Of The Hobbit by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina
Scull. The artwork that
J.R.R. Tolkien did for The Hobbit, both during the drafts and for
publication gathered together in one place. Beautifully done in a lovely
slipcase.

The Art of the Lord of the Rings by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Follows the same format as the Art of the Hobbit. Absolutely spectacular!

J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist And Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
About Tolkien's own artwork over the years from his childhood on.
Stunning, and has insights into Tolkien and his writings as well.

The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster

The Complete Guide To Middle Earth by Robert Foster
Dates from university where I was keeping a copy handy for between class editing of my website.

Meditations on Middle-Earth edited by Karen Haber
Illustrated by John Howe. A number of authors writing on how Middle-Earth and J.R.R. Tolkien influenced them.

Master of Middle Earth by Paul Koch

A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings by Lin Carter

A Tolkien Compass by Jared Lobdel

Tolkien's Legendarium Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F. Hostetter
Essays that focus on the History of Middle Earth series. Another expensive book (especially for its size).

The History of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins by John D. Ratelliff

The History of The Hobbit: Return to Bag-End by John D. Rateliff

The Journeys of Frodo by Barbara Stratchey
Maps and distances focused on the descriptions given in The Lord of the Rings. Rather a neat book to have, if an awkward size.

Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstaad

Understanding The Lord of the Rings by William Ready

Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall and Edmun Weiner

The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle: Music By Donald Swann and Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is one that I`d really like to hear some day. I can`t read music, so I don`t fully appreciate the book at all.

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man Who Created The Lord of the Rings by Michael Coren

Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best Of Tolkien Criticism Edited by Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaacs

J.R.R. Tolkien by Robley Evans
To be honest I cringe at this book - the errors are glaring.

Tolkien: A Celebration edited by Joseph Pearce

The Battle For Middle-Earth: Tolkien`s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings by Fleming Rutledge

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Peter Jackson's second movie in the Hobbit Trilogy. Also in Blu-Ray.

The Battle of the Five ArmiesNumber three in Peter Jackson's version of The Hobbit. Blu-Ray.Not pictured - purchased after the photo was taken.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrackNot pictured.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug soundtrackNot pictured.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies soundtrackNot pictured.

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Origin of the RingsDVD. A waste of a hour it's that bad. Not pictured as I can't find it. I might have sold it on. Unfortunately I have to report since that that is not true. I still own this one.

Tolkien TreasuryA little gift-book of quotes. Not pictured.

The Song of Middle-Earth: J.R.R. Tolkien's Themes, Symbols and Myths - David HarveyNot pictured

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

The first is:Ten Characteristics of Quality Indexes: Confessions of an Award Winning Indexer
Margie Towery
978-1573875264

Release Date: June 14th, 2016

The amazon.com product description:

The name "Margie Towery" is synonymous with index quality, and in
this guide the master indexer distills more than two decades of
experience for the benefit of her fellow indexers. Towery defines and
explores the characteristics of quality indexes: audiences and
accessibility, metatopics and index structure, accuracy,
comprehensiveness, conciseness, consistency, clarity, reflexivity,
readability, and common sense.

Writing in an engaging and
accessible style, she shares her own struggles in indexing and offers
strategies for overcoming challenges such as bias and language, indexing
blocks, and working with authors. Her digressions into research on
reading and decision-making provide a wider context for thinking about
quality, while her suggestions and checklist for evaluating indexes
round out this essential volume for professional indexers at every skill
level.

This is a book I really want to add to my library. As a professional indexer, albeit a newer one, I find that each time I read a book on indexing, I learn something new - a different way of looking at such finicky debates such as using undifferentiated locators or not, or workflow tricks to speed up the process.

The second book is another one that I really want to add to my library:Indexing Tactics & Tidbits: An A-Z Guide
Janet Perlman978-1573875257
Release Date: June 2016

The Amazon.com product description:

In this highly-recommended reference for indexing professionals,
master indexer Janet Perlman presents a treasure trove of practical,
in-depth explanations and advice. The author pays homage to the Hans
Wellisch classic, Indexing from A to Z, while bringing her own in-depth, conversational style and a multitude of fresh topics to the table.

Indexing Tactics & Tidbits
provides answers and insights on such vital subjects as audience
analysis, clients and contracts, computers and software, ethics and
standards, index depth and length, index structure, periodical indexing,
professional resources, quality and usability, work methods and
strategies, and much more.

New and experienced indexers
alike will appreciate this significant effort to address "everything you
always wanted to know about indexing but were afraid to ask" by one of
the preeminent indexers of our time.

This should be an interesting read. I have and have read the Hans Wellisch book, Indexing From A To Z, and although it's older, it's still a very useful reference as I noted in my review. Just looking at the list in the amazon.com blurb makes me want to go out and order this right away.

I should note one bit of confusion. The publisher's website says that the release date for this is in June. According to Amazon.com, the book is already available for order, and has been since the end of March. I also note that some indexers have commented about having already received their copies, so it might be shipping out already.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

I think I've set a new personal record with my spinning between March 8th and April 30th.
The dates were those for the most recent spin-along hosted on Ravelry by Mirkwood Spindles (my current favorite support spindles).

One of the neatest things about this spin-along for me: Two of the three spindles I was using were Middle-Earth themed, and most of the fiber was as well. The grey was from the previous spin-along and themed for Ungoliant, while the darker fiber is called I Am Death and was inspired by Smaug from The Hobbit.

Anyway, I ended up totalling 747 yards of chain-plied yarn that ranges between lace and sock weight.

My wrists are just happy that there's just over a week before the next spin-along starts! They need a break!

About Me

I love books, especially science fiction/fantasy and history books.
Primarily, I read fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction and
non-fiction history books.
As of Spring 2009, I now have my B.A. with my major Classical Studies and my minor in Medieval Studies.
I am a professional back-of-the-book indexer specializing in Classical and Medieval Studies and also in general history. I am quite happy as well to work on most general interest subjects as well. My website is at quillandinkindexing.comWhen I write about the Kobo E-reader, it is information gleaned from my personal experience. I am not affiliated with Kobo in any way.